The participants of Bread for the City’s first ever media training included several BFC clients: A graduate of BFC’s Pre-Employment Program (PEP), a returning citizen, one former and two current BFC Client Advisory Board members, and two residents of the Potomac Gardens public housing complex.
The first three sessions were held in Bread for the City’s SE Center and dedicated to:
- Gaining a better understanding of what a powerful tool the media plays in perpetuating racism and oppressive stereotypes
- Understanding how the media helps to perpetuate the cycle of oppression
- Strategizing how to make media production skills available to the people who are most affected by oppression and stereotypes in the media
The last three sessions were held at the Potomac Gardens public housing complex and dedicated to:
- Teaching the technical skills of videotaping and editing using Final Cut Pro and Adobe Premier Elements 11 software
- Discovering creative ways to use cellphones as media tools
In today’s world of ever evolving technology, it’s exciting that those most affected by poverty are steadily gaining more control over how their stories are told. They are also being given the tools to share their stories with a wide audience. We plan to begin another session in April 2014.
Remember- we can be the change we want to see!
Below are two of the videos produced in the class. The first is a testimonial by William McIntyre who was a smart kid. He graduated from high school and everybody thought he was going to be just as big a man in the world as he was a big man on campus. But six months later he’s still working at McDonalds. What happened next? Watch and find out.
The second is of Ms. Brown who spoke to her daughter about life in the District of Columbia throughout the years. Ms. Brown, being born in 1931, had a lot to share. This 10 minute video is just a start.
